Jack Nicklaus: 30 Years After '86 Masters & Still THE GREATEST

Jack Nicklaus is one of two professional athlete that comes to my mind when you talk about sports figures I grew up idolizing the first 10 years of my life.  The other being local legend John Elway.  I loved the game of golf from my earliest years.  Maybe it was because my dad dug holes in the front and back yard of our corner lot trailer of Redwood Estates in Federal Heights (yes, I came from a fairly less than silver spoon fed environment) and we would play our little 9 hold course.  My dad with a 9-iron and me with a blue handled flat head putter that many more recent golfers would mistake as a driving iron these days.  Our lawn was kept short put many golfers would consider our course all playing from the rough.  While I have played golf once every few years, the simple fact is I suck at the game.  I never took the time or money to invest in a game I have always had an affinity for but lacked the tools needed to become decent at it: the clubs, the time and the on-course passion for it.


I started watching golf before I was even in Kindergarten and my earliest memories and my greatest memory was two months before my 5th birthday watching Jack Nicklaus turn Amen's corner and catch fire in April 1986.  Nicklaus was 46 and had not won a major since 1980.  In my house, we did not miss Sunday of the Master's... ever.  I had watched the year before when The Golden Bear had flirted with making a run and finished in the Top 10.  My eyes were glued to the television but CBS had focused their coverage and belief elsewhere it seems; this I recall slightly but I have also re-watched that Masters to recall that Aussie Greg Norman held the lead going into the 4th round and Spaniard Seve Ballesteros had 2 Master's under his belt with 1985 Champion both only a shot back heading into the day.    My own memories are strong in Jack turning Amen corner with a shot, even though he was still far down the leaderboard.  The 15th was when it became a true possibility when Jack eagled to reach 7-under and then birdie-birdied 16 and 17.  Before Tiger Woods fist pump became a staple of television jacks long left foot stride and putter raise after birdie-ing #17 of the Masters to get to 9 under was what was most replayed by anyone covering golf.  The 18th was nerve racking and Nicklaus nearly birdied from over 30 feet.  Ballesteros, Kite and Norman all had chances but struggled.

The Masters and Jack Nicklaus are reasons I fell in love with the game of golf.  It was a bond my dad and I had since he was a young kid like I was when Jack stormed onto the golf scene.  While my bond broke with my dad, they are memories I will forever hold as fond ones with him.  Growing up, my dad constantly talked about two golfers, Jack Nicklaus and Ken Venturi.  Venturi because of getting free food, golf and other libations when he would find the course as a kid and clame our Ventura spelling was somehow related to "Uncle" Kenny.  I have held Jack Nicklaus in high regard since my earliest memories and his last major and still record 18th major on the course he is most famous for playing holding multiple records.  His career scoring average at Augusta Nationals is still under 72 which includes him playing up to 2005 at the age of 65 with very little chance at doing more than being a figure head.  Jack's bright smile, professional nature and trading punches with the likes of Arnold Palmer and early in  his career; Tom Watson, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and even Raymond Floyd during his prime and Seve Ballesteros at the later part of his career, Nicklaus stared down and fought the best competition in golf.  He is the best ever and the list of above players is why.


From 1962 to 1980, Jack Nicklaus won 17 major championships.  During that span Gary Player won 7 Majors, Lee Trevino won 5 and Tom Watson 4.  During that span Jack was known for what he did in the 18th (a fitting number for a legend in a sport that plays 18 holes) and final major Nicklaus stalked his competition, stared them down and took over.  He came from behind, he didn't have to have the lead going into Sunday in order to have a shot.  On the contrary    Tiger Woods run  run from 1997 to 2008 saw 14 major championships, but no golfer had more than 3 Major victories during that run for Tiger.  Tiger was on pace to unseat Nicklaus and I truly questioned if my idol was going to be considered second fiddle to Tiger during his amazing run from 1999 to 2001 Masters where he had 8 consecutive Top 10 finishes and 5 major victoires but the numbers and data don't lie; Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer ever with apologies to the Walter Hagen lovers out there.  It's what lies beneath the major victories that ultimately  makes Nicklaus that much greater than Tiger.  Tiger remained somewhat competitive after his last major vitory at the 2008 US Open but his 2014, 2015 and DNP 2016 Masters has shown his violent swing( not smooth as silk swing that Jack had) has taken it's toll on Tiger.  To do a fair comparison I will take his best run which truly began in 1998 and end it mid 2010 when he finished the Masters and US open in a T-4th to Jack's best timeframe which is difficult to decipher considering during the 1970s spanning 40 tournaments Jack Nicklaus only finished outside the Top 10 5 times! 


TIGER WOODS: Masters 1998 to Us Open 2010- In that span Tiger played 48 Majors where Tiger had 33 Top 10 finishes with 13 of those being major victories, 6-2nd places, 27 of those 33 being Top 5 finishes.  As said above his run from 1999 US Open to 2001 Masters is astounding but take into account his 2005 Masters run to 2008 US Open Run where he had 12 Top 5 finishes in 14 tries, 6 majors and an additional 4 runner-ups and you can see why Tiger was truly though to be greater than Nicklaus by many that didn't truly know golf history.


JACK NICKLAUS: Masters 1963 to PGA Championship 1975-Jack Nicklaus played 52 Majors (hey I am not going to penalize Jack for Tiger's DNPs) where Jack had 40 Top 10 finishes, also 13 majors, 32 Top 5 finishes, 11 runner-ups.  Jack never had a span of 14 major where he won 6 majors but from the 1970 US Open to 1973 PGA Championships, also a 14 major span, Jack had 5 majors and also 12 Top 5 finishes. 


In the 23 majors since the 2010 US Open (23rd being this weeks Masters), Tiger Woods has 5 missed cuts, 5 DNPs and only 4 Top 10 finishes.  In the 23 majors after Jack Nicklaus finished with a PGA Championship in 1973, he only had one missed cut and one finish outside the Top 10.  He amassed 3 additional majors, 16 of those Top 5 finishes.  That doesn't include his 1980 Major season where he added majors 16 and 17 to the belt.


It always caused a bit of anger and sadness when people would say move over Jack, Tiger is the greatest of all-times.  I get it, people cling to the latest thing and what they have seen, but the numbers have never lied, Jack owns Tiger as the numbers above show and just in general.  Jack's run was always far greater than Tiger because he was always in contention.  If we compare 40 year old Tiger to 40 year old Jack starting from their first major win we see the following data in majors that makes any of those previous talk of Tiger being the best ever pure humor:

Tournament	Player	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts
Masters Tournament	Woods (1997-2015)	4	2	1	11	13	17	17	17
	Nicklaus (1962-1980)	5	3	2	12	15	17	19	18
U.S. Open	Woods (1997-2015)	3	2	1	7	8	14	16	14
	Nicklaus (1962-1980)	4	2	1	8	13	16	19	18
Open Championship	Woods (1997-2015)	3	0	2	6	9	13	16	14
(British Open to USA)	Nicklaus (1962-1980)	3	6	3	16	17	18	19	19
PGA Championship	Woods (1997-2015)	4	2	0	7	8	10	17	14
	Nicklaus (1962-1980)	5	3	2	12	13	16	19	17
Totals	Woods (1997-2015)	14	6	4	31	38	54	66	59
	Nicklaus (1962-1980)	17	14	8	48	58	67	76	72
	Difference	3	8	4	17	20	13	10	13

The numbers don't lie, while Tiger has slipped more and more, Jack stayed strong.  The numbers that are truly staggering in the above are the difference in runner-ups and Top 5s and Top 10s.  Jack was more competitive, simple.  Yes, the number of golfers at the top of the group is larger today, the simple fact is Jack stayed in contention.  Jack's run for The Open Championship may be the most amazing run in a major at golf or maybe any sport.  Jack was in the Top 5 for 11 consecutive years, the Top 6 in 16 of 17 years.  The closest to that level in golf in the modern era was Jack's 10 years of Top 10 Master's run during the 1970s.  I wont' lie, I admired Tiger's grit at The Master's every year since he dominated the field and got his first major in 1997.  It's the only major where he is nearly to Jack's level.


Tiger Woods body has broke down and while his 2013 season was strong and earned him Player of the Year honors and a T4 and T6 in majors, the last two years have been a nightmare.  Tiger used to be amongst the longest off the tee and while he can still be in the Top 25% his biggest issues lie in greens in regulation and putting.  Both have taken deep dives where his average putting has gone up and average greens in regulation continues to decrease in percentage.  He can't save his errant drives any longer.  Fairways or not, Tiger didn't care, he could save his long tee shot but it has not been the same.  Add that to Tiger hitting his 40s and the surge of young guns like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIllroy and unless Tiger can get healthy and find a semblance of his former self, the best we can wish for is Tiger to have that one last run in him.  The time between major 14 and 15 for Nicklaus was nearly 3 years and between major 17 and 18 nearly another 6 years.  The time from Tiger's last major is still on the clock and already a minimum of 8 years with him missing the 2016 Masters this week.  The likelihood Tiger catches Jack's majors has gone from over 50% to probably less than 1%.  Tiger has to have a resurgence at an older age with a group of hungry young golfers ahead of him.  Tiger's days appear over and as history shows, The Golden Bear is still the greatest to ever tee it up.